BRS milked Rythu Bandhu scheme funds, says Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka

Hyderabad : Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, taking a dig at the BRS government while presenting the budget for the 2024-25 financial year on Thursday, said that Rs 80,440 crore were spent on the implementation of Rythu Bandhu for farmers. “However, financial input assistance has been given to many ineligible persons, owners of fallow lands, and real estate businessmen. Thus, precious public funds were wasted by violating the rules framed by the then government. Against this backdrop, the Rythu Bandhu Scheme (RBS) with Rythu Bharosa benefits the real farmers by increasing the assistance and providing Rs Rs.15,000 per year,” he said.

Bhatti added that a cabinet sub-committee appointed to the scheme has toured various districts and consulted farmers, experts and intellectuals. The views expressed at these forums will be placed before the Assembly to hold a detailed discussion to elicit the opinions of the members and to finalise modalities to implement the scheme. A new scheme will be launched during the current financial year by providing financial assistance of Rs.12,000 per year to improve agricultural labourers’ living and economic standards, he informed.

Highlighting that droughts and floods are a bane to the farmers, the Dy CM said natural calamities endanger the crops and cause economic destruction. Against this backdrop, it was decided to extend farm insurance to the farmers by joining the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), from the current year. Further, the state government will pay the crop insurance premium under the scheme.

He said that the farmer suffers due to a lack of remunerative prices for the products. The government has decided to encourage the cultivation of “Sanna” (super fine) rice. For this, the government has identified 33 super fine rice varieties, for which Rs 500 per quintal bonus will be provided to the farmers who cultivate these varieties.

The Rythu Nestham Scheme (RNS) has been set up to bring awareness among farmers on the latest technology and to share the experiences of progressive farmers with other farmers, organised in collaboration with the scientists of Professor Jaya Shankar Telangana Agriculture University.